How to Look Beyond Accounting for Time Saving Business Solutions. Integrated Applications for Business Process Automation

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1 How to Look Beyond Accounting for Time Saving Business Solutions Integrated Applications for Business Process Automation

2 ACCOUNTING IS ONE PART OF A BIG PICTURE In business, a familiar note to self is to put aside time to do the many tasks required by the day-to-day running of the business. These can include pulling together customer quotes, updating customer records and databases and matching payments to invoices. Unfortunately, at the end of each day these often remain unfinished. Small business leaders time gets swallowed up doing what they need to do (and what they do best) developing their business and serving customers. 55% of small business owners say having enough time is a top business concern Constant Contact 68% of a small business owner s time is spent on day to day tasks rather than strategic activities The Alternative Board Manual processes sit at the heart of the problem. Fortunately, a wide range of digital applications are available to help. Small businesses can ditch the manual processes that slow them down and restrict their growth. Instead, those day-to- day tasks can be completed seamlessly as part of the integrated running of the business. Businesses smart to the benefits of digital applications often start with an accounting solution. It s a great start, giving them firmer control over their financial management but it doesn t support the business in creating opportunities, managing customer relationships or closing sales. Stopping automation at accounting means missing out on the opportunity for better Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and marketing. Accounting is one part of a big picture. The complete picture is slick, professional internal process management through integrated CRM, finance and marketing. 55% of small businesses do not track assets or use a manual process Wasp Barcode Technologies 67% of UK small business accountants say better integration of software is a key focus for them this year Exact

3 Table of Contents Make Every Customer Contact Count Track Leads, Make Accurate Forecasts and Close Sales Opportunities Generate a Buzz Create Sales Opportunities with Simple and Effective Marketing Manage the Money Take Control with Stress-free Finance Management Automate to Focus on Customers

4 Make Every Customer Contact Count Track Leads, Make Accurate Forecasts and Close Sales Opportunities Customer Relationship Management is the way in which a company manages its interactions with customers and prospects. A CRM application contains customer contact information and details of all activity with that customer enquiries made and responded to, sales made and potential sales in the pipeline. On top of this, it can integrate with other applications to automate sending out a quote or creating a proposal. All of this, at the finger-tips of employees wherever they are through access to the single, all-inclusive customer management tool from whichever device they re on, in or out of the office. Use a CRM Application to: Create and track customer leads Record all customer interactions Generate follow-up activities Save time and raise productivity Integrate with other applications for end-to-end sales processing Increase customer satisfaction through improved response time Access and update from anywhere Gain business insight through full data visibility and reporting. We d outgrown spreadsheets and scribbled notes as a way of managing customer contacts. As we expanded, a single central source of information on customers and contacts for all staff to access became even more important. We need to find information quickly and we need it to provide a full and detailed history of all customer interactions. We needed something designed for the job. Darren Hickman, managing director, CHQ Properties

5 Make Every Customer Contact Count Integrated Customer Relationship Management New and repeat business is the lifeblood of every business but keeping track of customer contacts can soon get messy. Scribbled phone messages in the office get mislaid, contact details go out of date and the latest member of staff dealing with a customer may not know the current status of the account. Spreadsheets are often used to collate, sort and manage customer details but they re not best suited to the job. They don t record or track interaction history, don t reflect a timeline of events, can carry duplicate record entries and don t integrate with other functions for smooth sales processing from quote through invoice to payment. An integrated customer relationship management (CRM) solution empowers small businesses to operate more effectively on a daily basis. It frees up time for sales teams to focus on customer engagement and minimizes the errors that often come with manual data handling. Connect up Business Processes If a business has invested in a software accounting package but uses an entirely different system, such as spreadsheets for sales and marketing there is no link between the processes. A CRM application can solve this problem by, for example connecting a customer list to the accounting system. Suddenly, the business is able to communicate more effectively, utilize customer information in standardized formats in customized marketing campaigns, link in information from social media exchanges and much more.

6 Make Every Customer Contact Count Improve Sales Rates Gain complete visibility into the sales cycle Ensure customer details and records of interactions are up to date Track all sales leads Communicate with customers when and how they prefer (e.g. mail, , phone, SMS, social media) Gain Customer and Business Knowledge Create easy to use dashboards and reports for a more complete insight into performance Accurately segment customers according to their needs Be in control through more accurate forecasting and sales reporting Make best use of data Increase Productivity Stay Up to Date Automate manual tasks such as setting reminders and follow-ups Focus on customer service and sales, not on maintaining data Eliminate chasing down updates by working from one single source Connect processes to avoid manual transfer of information Access the latest, up-to-date information each and every time Be informed at all times, even when out of the office Reduce the possibility of data duplication and manual errors Capture all customer interactions regardless of the channel used Integrated CRM helps businesses automate sales processing, improve customer service and link customer information into marketing and finance

7 Generate a Buzz Create Sales Opportunities with Simple and Effective Marketing marketing campaigns are an effective way for small businesses to get their brand out there and promote their services. Creating marketing s needn t be daunting or time-consuming for the busy small business leader who doesn t have much time and doesn t want to spend the time they do have building IT knowledge. An marketing application provides pre-created templates and support for creating bespoke designs. It links into customer contact details within the business system to automatically generate and send messages no individual copying and pasting of addresses. The resulting s help the business project a professional image and creates the facility to channel customer responses. Use an marketing application to: Communicate on a large scale Create a consistent, professional brand image Automate distribution Save time and increase opportunities Keep customers informed and interested Target specific communications to certain customer groups.

8 Generate a buzz Marketing Application is an effective way for businesses to let customers know about their latest offers, to introduce their brand and to raise their profile. The advent of smart devices means that existing and prospective customers have near constant access to their and some prefer to communicate in a non-paper form. Many large companies invest heavily in specialist skills and external agencies to create, produce and distribute marketing communications including s. For the smaller business, it can seem like an out-of-reach tool for professional, timely and accurate communications, but it isn t. An marketing application brings the benefits of digital marketing to the small business, enabling them to create and distribute professional, impactful customer communications to generate sales enquiries and leads. Create the Right Image Save Time and Money Engage Customers and Maximize Responses Create bespoke designs or Produce professional s simply choose from a set of templates and quickly in-house, saving spend on external agencies Use the correct colors, logo, typeface and imagery of the company brand Be guided through the process by an intuitive and easy-to-use Maximize customer readership with interface that doesn t require expert mobile-friendly s they can read IT knowledge on any device Precisely target prospects and existing customers with the right message at the right time Include mechanisms for customers to respond Connect channels by including links to the company website and social media An marketing application enables small businesses to create engaging campaigns quickly and simply to raise their profile and grow their business

9 Manage the Money Take Control with Stress-free Finance Management Digital tools that streamline, simplify and free-up time from managing finance activities give small business leaders time back to focus on building and growing the core business. A range of tools are available to streamline accounting, quoting, invoicing, inventory and asset management. By eliminating manual and paper-based systems from the process, these functions can connect with one another and beyond to customer relationship management, sales and marketing. Together, sales handling and processing, billing, payment and leads generation is a smooth, well-oiled machine supporting the success and growth of the business. Use finance applications to: Produce accurate, branded quotes and invoices Manage cash flow Save time and increase productivity Increase customer satisfaction through accurate, timely accounts management Integrate with other applications for end-to-end business management Gain better visibility into current finances Generate forecasts Access data from anywhere. Automating and connecting our accounting, inventory and customer relationships have changed the work we do. We are so excited to have our sales turn into invoices, our invoices turn into payments and our customers, cost of goods sold, income and credit card fees to be managed in one place. Devron Sternke, Founder, RedSword Ts

10 Finance Application Managing cash flow, incomings, outgoings, payments owed and owing, financial forecasting, expenses and so on becomes harder and more complex with growth. Good financial management is essential to business success but many small businesses find themselves spending too much time on finance activities because they re using manual processes. These can include spreadsheets and handwritten quotes and invoices. Quoting, invoicing and payments received processes often don t link up so it is hard to track sales progress and reconcile incomings with monies owed. A range of finance activities can be streamlined and automated through finance applications that can convert quotes into invoices, synchronize inventory in real time and reconcile bank accounts. Improving these day-to-day operations frees up time to focus on customer service and growing the business. With digital finance management, small businesses can more effectively manage cash flow, automate routine tasks previously done by hand and enjoy the benefits of more accurate financial insight.

11 Manage the Money Spend Less Time on Finance Improve Insight Into Business Finances Bill automatically based on sales or delivery orders, contracts or time and material Quickly turn quotes into invoices and send by or mail Send automatic follow-ups Simply reconcile invoice status with bank statements Create up to date reports for a more complete insight into performance Gain better visibility into current and forecast finances Access data and produce documents even when out of the office Maximize learning from easy to access data Improve Cash Flow Be More Efficient Cut down time to cash with online payment facilities Use price list rules to compute the right price every time Quote on the go to maximize every sales opportunity Speed up customer on boarding through electronic signature Avoid duplication and manual errors Save time by automating many activities involved in book keeping, accounting and contact and inventory management Produce clearly laid out and branded invoices and quotes with just a few clicks Simply reconcile invoices with incoming and outgoing payments Automating routine tasks such as book keeping and inventory management frees up staff time to focus on the core business and engage with customers

12 Automate to Focus on Customers Small businesses that free-up time by automating day-to-day operations can redirect it to serving customers and developing the business. To focus on customers and be more productive, businesses need effective Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and marketing as well as finance. With the right set of digital applications businesses can: Improve customer knowledge through effective contact management and smarter data, task and event monitoring Communicate on a large scale using templates, distribution management and social media monitoring Increase productivity with accurate forecasting, simplified lead management, full visibility into the sales pipeline with a clear status of each opportunity and improved sales and marketing operations Save time and be consistent with clearly laid out and branded invoices and quotes, created with just a few clicks. 60% of organisations implementing paper-saving initiatives achieve a return on investment within a year AIIM 90% of consumers subscribe to s from trusted brands DMA 26% of finance leaders time could be saved by fully automating finance processes Concur To find out how Neopost can help you automate CRM, marketing and finance activities, visit neopost.com/en/business-solutions

13 About Neopost Neopost is the number two global provider of mailing solutions and a major player in digital communications and shipping solutions. Its mission is to guide and support organizations in how they send and receive communications and goods, helping them better connect with their business environment through hardware, software and services. Neopost supplies innovative user-friendly solutions for physical and digital communications management for large enterprises and SMEs, as well as shipping processes for supply-chain and e-commerce players. With a strong local presence in 31 countries and over 6,000 employees, Neopost works closely with a network of partners in order to market its solutions in more than 90 countries. In 2014, Neopost reported sales of 1.1 billion. Neopost is listed in Compartment A of Euronext Paris and belongs notably to the SBF 120 index. Find out more at Join us on